Seminar
Operational Research Society: Health and Social Services Study Group
How Geography and Population Distribution Affect Costs and Service
Delivery for Public Services
Presenter: Dr. Tony Hindle of HCS Ltd. and Lancaster University.
Thursday 12 February 2004. Start 5pm, until 7pm (coffee from 4.30 onwards).
London School of Economics, Room V710, Building - Tower 2
For maps of the LSE and surrounding area go to [
fcp:[log in to unmask],%231018444/MailBox/_blank/www.lse.ac.uk/School/maps/map1.htm
]www.lse.ac.uk/School/maps/map1.htm
All are welcome, you do not have to be a Society or Study GRoup member to
attend
Abstract:
This talk presents the findings of an ongoing research programme that has
examined how geography and population distribution affect costs and
service delivery in the public service arena. Spanning a range of projects
for clients such as the DHSS&PS in Northern Ireland, the County Councils
Network and the Countryside Agency, a mature approach known as Simplified
Modelling of Spatial Systems (SMOSS) has been developed. This approach has
allowed comparisons to be made of travel and scale-related effects in
delivering public services between different communities - Local
Authorities, Districts, and Health Board Areas and so on.
Funding received by Authorities from Central Government is determined by
complex calculations involving a range of factors such as population size,
levels of deprivation, etc. These calculations are intended to reflect
needs for services so that, in principle, each Authority is able to
provide the same level of services to their local populations. In
practice, however, there is ongoing debate as to whether such formulae
distribute money fairly.
One argument in this debate relates to "geodemographic" features of the
areas served. Rural areas, which tend to be sparsely populated and cover
large geographical areas, have argued that such features are not
sufficiently taken into account in the funding formulae. Research has
shown that providing services in rural areas can necessitate small
operational teams and high travel distances; both of which lead to
unavoidable reductions in the efficiency of service provision. Also,
giving residents in rural areas equal access to emergency services such as
fire and ambulance can lead to organisational units which are
under-utilised in comparison with urban units. On the other hand, urban
areas often complain they are faced with traffic flow difficulties that
adversely affect their ability to provide spatially distributed services.
Researching these issues presents the following problem. Areas that face
unavoidable extra costs will often react by reducing the range and scope
of services actually provided, particularly where services are
discretionary. Hence, a traditional economic analysis that compares actual
expenditures in rural and urban authorities can all too readily fail to
achieve a comparison of like with like. In particular, costs in rural
areas may appear lower for particular services, but this may simply be a
reflection of historical under funding.
A way forward in this problem area has been found using an approach that
has come to be known as Simplified Modelling of Spatial Systems (SMOSS).
SMOSS works on the basic premise that the only way to compare the
costliness of services in different geographical areas is to compare
delivery systems of equal service quality. The SMOSS methodology achieves
this by building idealised operational models of the services to be
provided in areas having different geodemographic features and driving
such models from appropriately need-weighted populations. Two key features
of the methodology are the need for detailed digital information of road
networks and efficient feasible models of the travelling behaviour of
service delivery systems; for example, visiting clients, collecting
clients and responding to emergency calls. An approach to this task using
MapPoint by Microsoft embedded within Excel has been found to be highly
effective in a wide range of projects.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ann Taket
Professor of Primary Health Care
Director of MPhil/PhD Research Programmes
Faculty of Health and Social Care (Erlang House)
London South Bank University
103 Borough Road
London SE1 0AA
UK
tel: +44 (0) 20-7815-8097
fax: +44 (0) 20-7815-8099 please mark fax FAO Prof. Taket
email: [log in to unmask]
|
